2 A Chance Encounter

The boy woke up in his bed covered in sweat; as he looked around to see if everything had been a dream, he was in the void, with an unknown presence with whom he could neither talk nor interact in any way. The presence just stood on and continued as if it were a statue; his entire existence melded into the void.

As the boy looked on, he found that the void did not seem to be what he had thought it to be. Darkness incarnate it may be, but there was also something else, something familiar there. The boy felt a sense of bonding with the dark, and as he stared into it, so too did the darkness staring back at him. It was then that he had been suddenly jolted awake.

The past day had been the norm for the boy, and he knew today would not bring any joy as well. He rose from his tiny quarters, which were more like a dog's kennel than a place for a human to stay in. He walked out towards the stable to receive the beatings as well as the tiring work that ensued.

He again looked upon the mighty steeds as he walked by them slowly. Today, however, turned out to be something out of the ordinary, for instead of the stable master stood brushing the horses, a large man. The man was taller and broader than the stable master and far more muscular. The black hair on the man looked silky and hung over his shoulders, his face rugged with a scar on his left cheek, his eyes as grey as clouds of winter.

What stumped the boy even further was that the horses, despite their brash and unruly behaviour, were timid before this man as he brushed the black steed. Slowly the boy approached the large man; as he stood before him, he could now better see the oversized grey wolf fur coat that cloaked the man. He was wearing luxurious clothing in the desolate north; this was enough indication for the boy to know that the man in front of him was someone of high stature.

"You know you should not stand there staring when you could come to help me, little one."

The man had noticed the boy staring at him, and he had waited for the boy to approach not to scare him away. Ellard Stark had seen the boy work tirelessly in Winterfell, often seeing him get beaten by the stable master. While Ellard pitied the boy, it was always just that pity, no more. Ellard had come here today with the express intention of riding his favourite black steed out of the castle in the hope of some early morning recreation.

Yet it seemed that the stable master had been out drinking and was nowhere to be seen near the stables. Taking the task upon himself, Ellard began to brush and clean his horse before preparing for his ride. It was then that he noticed the boy.

"Um...how may I help you, sir?" the boy stuttered in Ellard's imposing presence.

"You could fetch that bucket of water right by you and then help me brush the dirt away from this one."

The boy immediately got to work as he grabbed the bucket with all his strength and began to both drag and carry it towards Ellard. After keeping it beside his foot, the boy, without hesitation, got to work. He grabbed the brush and started cleaning the foot of the steed. To him, this was a rare opportunity to interact with the Lord of Winterfell as he had identified the same after seeing the long broadsword that hung at the hips of the man. Ice was the grand valyrian blade passed from each Lord Stark to the next for generations.

Ellard and the boy then spent some moments in silence as they both did their work. Finally, it was time for Ellard to depart as he saddled the horse and began to climb it. He then approached the gates, where the sleeping soldiers were suddenly awakened by Ellard's gruff voice. They skimped to work on opening the gates.

The boy continued to stare from the stables as the Lord continued to depart. Suddenly his entire body was overrun by a jolt of electricity as he ran towards Ellard.

"Take me with you!!"

Hearing the boy so suddenly demand such a thing of him, Ellard was undoubtedly curious. He stopped his horse which was halfway through the gates. He stared at the boy, and as he did so, the boy lost all his previous vigour as he mellowed down and began to look shamefully into the ground. Ellard considered it for a moment and was certainly intrigued by the prospect; something about the boy had him wondering whether or not to entertain this further.

"Come along then; you will have to walk along, though, if that is feasible for you."

"N...No, I'm fine."

"Are you now? But just a moment ago, you were so excited to come along. Which is it, boy?!"

Ellard put some pressure in his voice to see whether or not the boy had some spine to him. In his eyes, there was undoubtedly a profound change in the boy's attitude within moments. The boy slowly raised his head, finding courage in him as he nodded and began to move along with the horse.

Slowly they travelled along the path to reach the small shanty town near Winterfell, which housed many of the servant families of the castle. From there, they went into the woods nearby. The boy continued to walk along silently, occasionally sneaking a glance at Ellard to see if he had angered the Lord. To the boy angering the man was a far more dangerous crime than being eaten by a wolf or a fox.

"How old are you, young one and what is your name ?"

"I'm seven winters old, sir, and I don't know my name, but everyone here seems to call me Dan, but mostly I'm referred to as 'Boy'"

"I see; well, why did you wish to come along with me on this trip ?"

"I don't ... know, but my head just worked on its own, and the words came out. I couldn't just stand there and let you go out alone, and my own self wouldn't allow me to"

After this point, little was spoken between the two, but Ellard seemed to enjoy the boy's company as whenever the boy saw any squirrels near the path they were taking, he would try to run and catch them. This was very entertaining for Ellard; he enjoyed witnessing the boy try to do something which was more than what his teenage sons were up to.

When they returned to Winterfell, the boy was tired from all the walking, yet he continued to persevere, which impressed Ellard. He had now come to decisions with certain things that ran through his head throughout the trip.

"Dan, I want you to work in the inner courtyard as cupbearer to my son Benjen. Would you be interested in it? You won't have to toil away in the stables anymore; that's guaranteed, at least." Ellard stated with a hint of disdain for his own stables hidden in his offer.

After hearing the words of the Lord, the boy was certainly delighted, he did not like working at the stables at all, yet he could not escape that fate. Today he was given this god sent opportunity, and he would not let his destitution keep a hold over him anymore.

"YES...yes I will. Thank you, my lord. Thank you."